Mariner Investment Group LLC Has $3.46 Million Stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Mariner Investment Group LLC increased its stake in Williams Companies by 83.3%, now owning 55,000 shares valued at approximately $3.46 million, making it the 11th largest position in their holdings.
• Analysts have raised their price targets for Williams Companies, with Wells Fargo now at $70.00 and Barclays at $59.00, reflecting a generally positive outlook for the stock.
• Williams Companies recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, contributing to an annualized dividend yield of 3.1%.

Mariner Investment Group LLC increased its stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 83.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,000 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the period. Williams Companies makes up 1.2% of Mariner Investment Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Mariner Investment Group LLC's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $3,455,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 1.6% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 28,829 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $1,811,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Williams Companies by 153.4% in the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 831 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 503 shares during the last quarter. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 71.7% in the 2nd quarter. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,985 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $502,000 after acquiring an additional 3,335 shares in the last quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,982 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $627,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patton Fund Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $234,000. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on WMB shares. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Williams Companies from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $66.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $63.07.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total value of $263,115.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 77,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,537,973.64. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total transaction of $115,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 311,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,956,984.90. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,500 shares of company stock worth $623,115. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

NYSE WMB opened at $64.05 on Friday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $58.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.74. The stock has a market cap of $78.10 billion, a PE ratio of 32.19, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.54. Williams Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $44.65 and a fifty-two week high of $64.48.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The firm's revenue was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies's payout ratio is 100.50%.

Williams Companies Profile

The Williams Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy infrastructure company primarily in the United States. It operates through Transmission & Gulf of Mexico, Northeast G&P, West, and Gas & NGL Marketing Services segments. The Transmission & Gulf of Mexico segment comprises natural gas pipelines; Transco, Northwest pipeline, MountainWest, and related natural gas storage facilities; and natural gas gathering and processing, and crude oil production handling and transportation assets in the Gulf Coast region.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.